Associated Press, courtesy of Forbes: Vermont
says IBM plant to lay off 180 workers. State officials say they're being told the IBM plant in Essex Junction
is laying off 180 people. Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development officials say they're being told
by the company that 110 regular positions are being eliminated along with 70 long-term supplemental positions.
...

The IBM Microelectronic Plant in Essex Junctions was once the state's largest private employer. At its peak
in 2001, Vermont's IBM plant employed more than 8,000 people. IBM now employs about 5,500 people in Vermont.

Burlington Free-Press: Big
Blue lays off 180. By Dan McClean. Excerpt: Company spokesman Jeff Couture said employees were being told
this morning of the layoffs, which included 110 regular positions and 70 long-term supplemental employees. Couture
said no other positions will be affected, either through wage reductions or benefit reductions. "We are addressing
business needs: to re-balance skills that we have and to reduce costs, to improve efficiency and to respond to
the evolving market conditions," Couture said. Couture said the layoffs will affect "a range of positions" all
involving the microelectronics area, with the majority related to manufacturing, but not all.

The Register: North Carolina will pay IBM $750,000 for 10 jobs.
Great BBQ and strip clubs for execs too. By Ashlee Vance. Excerpts: North Carolina will do just about anything
to keep technology companies happy, including offering IBM up to $750,000 to bring just 10 jobs to the state.
IBM has revealed plans to construct a $362m so-called "leadership data center" in either North Carolina,
New York or Colorado. Hoping to secure this center, Durham County officials in North Carolina have just committed
to a seven-year, $750,000 incentive package for IBM. That's just chump change in the big scheme of things, but
we're sure IBM appreciates the effort.

You might think a $362m data plant would provide a lot of work for locals. But that's not the case. IBM thinks
the new facility will only require about 10 staff. ...

Anyway, the Durham folks justify the IBM package by saying that 1,000 or so executives will visit the new
data center every year and spend money at hotels, restaurants, bars and strip clubs. "Over five years,
the data center would generate $4.4 million in visitor spending, which in turn would translate into $150,000
in local tax money, Shelley Green of the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau said," reports local paper
The Herald-Sun. IBM may want to hold out and see what New York has to offer for the sake of its executives.
After all, the food and strip clubs are quite a bit better up North.

Poughkeepsie Journal: Big
Blue seeking millions in aid. Local leaders: Jobs should be a factor. By Joseph Spector. Excerpts: State officials
and IBM Corp. are working on a deal to invest $90 million in state aid to spur more than $2 billion in private-sector
investment over five years at IBM facilities in East Fishkill and Albany. The goal, according to state officials,
would be to retain and expand high-tech jobs at the East Fishkill semiconductor facility and to boost IBM's presence
at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany. ...

Saland confirmed any deal should include a commitment from IBM to retain jobs at the East Fishkill semiconductor
plant, which together with the Poughkeepsie facility employs more than 11,000 people. "I know job retention
is critically important," Saland said. "If and when the deal is done, that will be an element of it."

The following are selected reader comments posted by Poughkeepsie Journal readers:

I'm not sure IBM really cares too much about their employees or the towns they operate in. The company
is simply concerned with making money. IBM and the state will be announcing a deal this coming week (I'm
guessing Tuesday). It will more than likely involve a 1/2 baked plan to jettison their chip business and
create a wholly owned company in partnership with a faltering chip company like AMD. It's become IBM's way
of dumping their bad business. This will allow IBM to wash their hands of their failing chip business and
distance themselves from the environmental issues they have in Fishkill. The $2B in private sector investment
will be contingent on the success of the new company. I doubt we'll ever see it. The East Fishkill facility
has never been fully utilized and a company like AMD is a financial train wreck. Very sad day for the people
involved. :-(

If I weren't an IBM employee and seen first-hand how dishonorable they are, I wouldn't believe this.
How IBM can dare to ask for taxpayer money after what they've done to their US employees redefines "chutzpah".
The mind reels. A small example from this past week: many, if not most, employees--including top performers--
received no raises, with the excuse that "this is the worst year ever." That's a bald-faced lie.
If record profits and Sam's $30M salary qualify as the "worst year ever", then words have no
meaning. This insult is the latest in a long line of insults designed to entice employees to quit. IBM
should not receive ONE DIME of taxpayer money. You can't swing a dead cat at IBM without hitting someone
who is thoroughly disgusted at what this company has become. Anyone who insists that IBM is honest about
keeping jobs here is either hopelessly naive or getting their pockets lined, or both. For two cents they'd
sell us all up the river. What a disgrace.

Union Network International (UNI): Union
recognition rejected by IBM management Turkey. Excerpts: The management of IBM Turkey has rejected the application
for recognition by TezKoop-IS, a trade union representing the employees of IBM. The union claims to have organised
over 80% of the workforce at IBM Turkey. The Turkish Minister of Labour has confirmed that trade union membership
is well beyond the required 50% and has informed IBM management that they have to recognise TezKoop-IS and start
collective bargaining with the union.

turn.Internet: IBM Turkey Workers
Has Unionized Claiming They Haven’t Received Any Rise in Salaries for 5 Years. Excerpt: While IBM has announced
that they are continuing their success with pointing out that their “RoadRunner” PC is the number 1 in super PC
category in the Top 500 list, IBM Turkey employees are not pleased with their company. It is reported that 258
IBM workers has unionized claiming that they haven’t received any rise in the salaries for 5 years. Ministry of
Labor and Social Security approval report, with the number of unionized workers is 209. Actually, similar problems
are sounding not only in Turkey but also in some other countries. IBM Italy workers, for example, had a virtual
protest meeting on the Second Life platform in September 2007.

China.org.cn: IBM found guilty
of job discrimination in Shanghai. Excerpt: A labor arbitrator in Shanghai has ordered global computer giant
IBM to pay 57,000 yuan ($8,300) in compensation to an employee who was fired earlier this year, after being diagnosed
as suffering from depression. The labor dispute arbitration committee of Pudong New Area on Wednesday also ordered
the US firm to reactivate its five-year labor contract with Yuan Yipeng, who in January attempted suicide due to
his mental state.

Yahoo! IBM Employee Issues message board: "Raises" by "sby_willie".
Full excerpt: Any constructive talk about the paltry raises IBM has been giving out this month? Or is everyone
numb in shock? I for one asked HR why the raise announcements were being delayed and I got a response that signalled
me in early June that the raises would have to be poor since the response I got was not believable. I told them
it was unacceptable to delay the announcement and also delay the raises upwards to two weeks even with a retroactive
action. (Who got to play with the 2 weeks' raise money buckets and interest?)

It also showed that IBM wanted to close and dust 2nd QTR first before announcing gloomy raise news to the resources.
But gloomy news should have been foreseen already once the I/T Specialists and System Admins in 06A got clobbered
with a -15% base pay cut. One could only conclude that the raises would stink since the same IBM comment on it "...we
(IBM) have to do this pay remix to remain competitive..." also actually applies to these recent raises as
well.

IBM says they pay based on performance but how come some PBC "1" performers got no raise? How come
PBC "2+" in skilled areas got little or also no raise? And how come no MBA's for skill groups that
have many well below their market base reference midpoint pay for PBC "2+" appraisals for many, many,
consecutive years?

2007 was supposedly a banner year for profits and revenues in IBM. The executives did well and judging from
their insider trades are still doing quite well for themselves.

So all those profits went to stock buybacks for the executives to enjoy and none was put into the raise buckets
for employees. So even if IBM has a bad QTR going forward the rainy day for the executive is but a drizzle
and not a drencher like it will be for the IBM resource (we used to be called an employee).

So what is next in 2009? Either no raises at all, less bonus pay if any at all, or more folks being added
to the 7600 pay cut folks?

I say we do our best now to work toward getting IBM to the table with a collective bargaining agreement since
we have to hold them to a written contract since they don't make any positive promises to us anymore and whatever
ones they made in the past they seem free to break. If IBM had a great 2007 then our raises should reflect
it with at least an average raise at the rate of inflation!!! If 2008 is also stellar then we should also see
better raises as well.

InvestmentNews: Senior
class: a retirement income solution. By Evan Cooper. Excerpts: The core problem facing baby boomers and their
advisers is how to stretch often meager nest eggs over two or three decades. Unfortunately, no matter how brilliant
the financial advice or how creative mutual fund companies and insurers will be in creating new products, there
is just no getting around the fact that savings of $100,000 or $200,000, or even $1 million, are inadequate to
provide decades-long income at levels comparable with those of one’s working years.

The only way out of the box is for boomers to delay retirement and work a few years longer — to, say, 68 or
70. This will be difficult for many reasons, not the least of which is the cultural shift that has led many people
in their late 50s to believe they deserve to spend the rest of their years living in leisure.

The other big obstacle to working longer is that employers do not actively seek to hire people 50 or older.
Sure, the law prohibits age discrimination, but let’s get real. Employers want to hire workers as cheaply as
possible, and older workers are more expensive. First off, they are more experienced, so they tend to demand
more in the way of salary. But they also tend to use more medical care, which increases employers’ insurance
costs.

New York Times: For
a Good Retirement, Find Work. Good Luck. By Steve Lohr. Excerpts: Bill Neugent, an engineer in McLean, Va.,
is doing his bit to ease the looming generational financial squeeze as the nation’s 75 million baby boomers begin
to retire. He’s working longer. Mr. Neugent, 62, plans to work
full time until he is 65 and then part time for the Mitre Corporation, a federal research contractor that encourages
older workers to stay on. ...

The biggest obstacle, experts say, is that most companies are reluctant to retain or hire older workers. At
the top of the corporate ladder, executive recruiters are routinely told not to seek anyone over 50, notes Peter
Cappelli, director of the Center for Human Resources at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

Similar sentiments, Mr. Cappelli said, can be found across the job spectrum. He points to a batch of evidence.
In one survey, one-fourth of companies said they were not inclined to hire older workers. In a research experiment
a few years ago, thousands of made-up resumes were sent to employers; younger workers who had the same qualifications
as older workers were more than 40 percent more likely to be called in for an interview than someone 50 or
older. In an industry survey, a majority of technology companies candidly said they would not hire anyone over
40.

“The issue of older workers is similar in many ways to the arguments surrounding discrimination against blacks
and women in the ’60s,” Mr. Cappelli said. At the time, he noted, it was widely said that the “market will
take care of it,” since self-interested companies would want to tap a wider pool of workers with varied skills.
But ultimately it took anti-discrimination laws and changes in social attitudes to improve job opportunities
for women and minorities.

Wall Street Journal: Unsteady Economy Prompts
401(k) Strategy Shifts. By Jillian Mincer. Excerpt: The unsteady economy is altering people's attitudes toward
retirement savings. Some are trimming back their 401(k) contributions as prices for daily staples like food and
energy creep higher. Others are boosting savings to better prepare for what could be a costlier retirement. Not
all retirement-savings plans have seen the strategy shift. But a number of retirement-plan providers have noticed
the change, which follows an uptick in the past year in the amount of money being borrowed against 401(k)s.

Associated Press, courtesy of the International Herald-Tribune: Continental
Airlines, shedding jobs, offers health benefits to workers who leave. Excerpt: Continental Airlines Inc.,
which is shedding 3,000 jobs in a cost-cutting move, is offering employees a year's worth of health insurance and
travel perks if they leave on their own. The pilots' union is pushing for job-sharing and other measures that would
reduce the need for layoffs, a union official said Friday.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Boeing
alters retirement plan for new employees. Changes will apply only to nonunion hires. Excerpts: The Boeing Co.
said it's changing its retirement program for new, nonunion workers, replacing its traditional pension plan with
one that's similar to a 401(k) plan. The new program, to be introduced Jan. 1, includes an automatic company contribution
as well as a match for funds put in by employees, Chicago-based Boeing said Tuesday in a prepared statement. The
change won't affect the more than 525,000 current or former employees or retirees who participate in the company's
existing savings and pension plans, Boeing said.

California HealthLine: State
HMOs Spend $6B on Costs Unrelated to Health Care. Excerpt: California HMOs spent $6 billion on administrative
costs in 2007, some of which could have gone toward driving down insurance premiums or better protecting the
insured, according to an annual report by the California Medical Association slated for release today, the
AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.The report, based on expenditures reported to the state Department of Managed
Health Care, found the insurers made more than $4.3 billion in profits in 2007, and annual CEO salaries topped
$1 million at at least five insurers in the state. Anthem Blue Cross spent 79% of its revenue on medical care,
the smallest percentage among major insurers, according to the report. In a statement, Anthem said that it is a
for-profit business and that it pays more in taxes than the not-for-profit HMOs included in the study.

New York Times: High
Medicare Costs, Courtesy of Congress. By David Leonhardt. Excerpts: On Wal-Mart’s Web site, you can buy
a walker for $59.92. It is called the Carex Explorer, and it’s a typical walker: a few feet high, with four
metal poles extending to the ground. The Explorer is one of the walkers covered by Medicare. But Medicare and
its beneficiaries aren’t paying $59.92 for the Explorer or any similar walker. In fact, they’re not paying
anything close to it. They are paying about $110.

For years, Congress has set the price for walkers and various medical equipment, and it has consistently
set them well above the market rate, effectively handing out a few hundred million dollars of corporate welfare
every year to the equipment makers. ...

In the abstract, fixing the health care system sounds perfectly unobjectionable: it’s about reducing costs
(and then being able to cover the uninsured) by getting rid of inefficiency and waste. In reality, though,
almost every bit of waste benefits someone. Doctors who perform spinal fusion surgeries, despite decidedly
mixed evidence that they’re effective, are making a nice living. Hospitals that order $1,000 diagnostic
tests, even when a cheaper one would work just as well, are helping their bottom line. Medical equipment
makers selling walkers for $110, while Wal-Mart sells them for $60, are fattening their profits.

The current fight to protect those profits is a microcosm of what you can expect to see if a larger effort
to rein in health costs ever gets going. The defenders of the status quo won’t say that they are protecting
themselves. Instead, they’ll use the same arguments that the medical equipment makers are using — that
a change will destroy jobs, bankrupt small businesses and, above all, harm patients.

New on the Alliance@IBM Site:

Is IBM offshoring the IBM Payroll Help Desk to Manila,
Philippines? If you have documentation please send to: Allianceibmunion@gmail.com

Comment 06/23/08: Been there done that.. You're talking about an IBM that has not existed in the USA
since 2001 - 2002. IBM, as far as ITD - GS, has gutted and thinned out the resources so much that its beyond
the fat, they are loping off arms at this point. We were into muscle and bone during 2005 2006. I watched
as contract after contract went from judging the sla's and customer sat to using lawyers to fend off the
lawsuits from missed sla's and poor performance.

I watched a robust pipeline drain whilst hearing all types of excuses why it wasn't filling, as we watched
HP and EDS take our lunch year after year.

Its amazing about the comments regarding folks in India and China. Yes, there are some brilliant folks
there. My experience has been a completely different work ethic, lack of continuity, customer dedication
during a crisis is lacking. Management is only looking to exploit a cheap labor force, that's it. You
read stories about how abused the ibm employees are in India and how folks are leaving in droves. Ibm
is now exploiting Vietnam, because the labor is cheaper. It doesn't change. You can sugar coat it all
you want, the bean counters are running the business. Ibm's rep continues to drop in value. -former ibm'er-

Comment 06/25/08: The Burlington plant will continue to layoff employees throughout the summer. 180 in
already happened in June. I heard from a very reliable source (my former 2nd level manager) that there
will be a few hundred more in July and August. Join the Alliance and lets stop this harassment of American
employees. -Joe-

Comment 06/25/08: Well, I was RA'd from GS in May 2007. I periodically check in here just to see what
shenanigans IBM is up to and, sadly, they seem to be as bad or worse as they ever were. For me, things
couldn't be better after IBM...better pay, better working conditions, respect, etc. I know many people
are just hanging in, waiting for that package which may never materialize, or may materialize, but may
be far less than you'd hoped. My own thoughts are that I wish I had acted on my own disenchantment with
IBM 5 years prior to the RA. I know damn well that I'd be farther ahead now if I hadn't clung to IBM and
had actively pursued other opportunities.

So here's what I have to say: while you remain with IBM, join the Union. I can tell you that I'm in a
union position now and I work 1/2 an hour less a day, make $20K+ more, and get paid overtime at 2X. Oh,
pay increments are set out in our union contract, so it's not down to the whim of IBM management. One last
piece of advice: when something better or with more potential comes along, take it and don't look back.
You'll more than make up the pittance IBM will throw you when you're RA'd, through improved quality of
life and (most likely) improved remuneration. -You Don't Always Get What You Want...-

Comment 06/24/08: Yes, IBM had a another record profit margin with revenue up 26% As a stock holder I would
be asking the question why management in East Fishkill NY is telling employees that their annual pay raise
/ cost of living adjustment is only 0-1 % because of poor related business profits. Managers are calling
it a real slap in the face. Meanwhile a local IBM executive retires with a 11 million dollar bonus check.
It appears that profits are now regulated using blood money and how many AMERICAN jobs are called surplus.
-Truly Senseless-

Comment 06/26/08: I am about to have a birthday on June 30. This day should be a happy day for a person;
but it will be my 3rd ann. away from IBM. I have read so many comments and stories on this site and I simply
cannot understand how IBM has walked so far away from the path of the founders. I do not believe the company
can and will see the effect of its actions until it is too late. I am sorry for those who lost 15% of their
base salary. I feel for all who received a 1 or 2+ PBC rating and no raise. The message now for those still
in IBM is what are you going to do about the treatment. You need to take action and form a Union to protect
and restore what you have worked so hard to obtain. I am not part of Alliance because it has been a struggle
for me over these 3 years. I, however, am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was not prepared
for RA action. I never thought IBM would let me go after 20 years and a 2+ performer. I stronger because
of the IBM's action. I only hope that each and everyone you are ready, if you do not take the action required
now. STAND UP and LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD! -RA'edonBirthday-

Comment 06/20/08: Band Level = 6; Years Service = 2; Message = Got a 4% raise, after my pbc 2. I am at
+70% in my market base. Bonus last year was 5%. I guess I cant complain, but it all goes to gas prices...
-Skippy-

Comment 06/23/08: Salary = 67,075/yr; Band Level = 7; Job Title = advisory learning specialist; Years
Service = 12; Hours/Week = 45; Div Name = BTO-HR; Location = teleworker; Message = I was rated a "solid" 2
(which I know from the old IBM was a 3) but told by my mgr that they submitted me as a 2+ but it was shot
down. So because I am at 94% of my midpoint salary range I'm not entitled to a raise this year. And in
fact was told that according to my manager's manager that even some "1's" are not getting raises.
So it makes you wonder exactly who is getting the money from our stellar performances quarter after quarter!?!?!?
-T

Comment 06/23/08: A whopping 1% for a 1. Showing myself the door. -LookingForDoor-

Comment 06/23/08: Salary = 52,000; Band Level = 6; Job Title = IT Specialist; Years Service = 3.5; Hours/Week
= 45; Div Name = 6c; Location = Tulsa; Message = I'm worn out and no longer motivated to remain loyal to
IBM. Stock is almost doubled and we had a great quarter with raised dividends yet I get no performance
pay, market based adjustments do not apply to me and my promotion to band 7 was blocked despite objections
from my first and second level supervisor. I'm in the market for another job unless something can change
quick with IBM. From what i have read and heard, I just need a new job. -Anonymous-

Comment 06/23/08: I finally saw the light and joined the Alliance. I know many have said this but I am
going to say it again. Join the union. It is our only hope. I am a 30 year IBMer and never was pro union
before. I always loved IBM and felt valuable and respected as a person/individual and a professional. Obviously
not any more. The pay cut then the no raises was the last straw. I work in GPS and over 80% of us in the
U.S. did not get raises. Our managers let us down a while ago by not fighting to keep us exempt and by
hiring more and more IBMers from South America and Asia. I respect them as people and as IBMers but none
of them got a pay cut and all of them got increases. So much for the selling-out of America. -saw the light-

Comment 06/24/08: Job Title = IT Specialist; Years Service = 20; Hours/Week = 48.5; Div Name = 6C; Message
= Is it true that employees in the IT Specialist job family received no raises? I was rated at 2+ and received
no raise. I'm on a dead end project with the business manager running the show with no idea how to run
a development project (I have spoon fed this person and the SPM has no backbone - worthless).

Comment 06/24/08: Location = IBM Japan; Message = Reliable source says that "without exception" everyone
rated either 3 or 4 at IBM Japan is getting a 5-10 percent pay cut. I have at least one confirmed data
point for this. Rumour has it that salary can even be reduced below the "minimum pay" for the
band. Huh?!?!? -Amazed-

Comment 06/24/08: Band Level = 08; Job Title = I/T Specialist (but not job family 06A); Years Service
= too many; Hours/Week = depends on mood or when spirit moves me; Div Name = 1K; Message = 2+ PBC, 1.75%
TCR, 0% MBA despite being 25% or so below supposedly the band midpoint (I think it's more than that). WORST
raise I ever got (when I did get a raise that is). We keep hearing from the Armonk spin morons that we
had record profits and solid revenue growth last year and a great 1st QTR 2008. I'm TIRED of those line
or business scorecard pep talk memos after every qtr. how we are doing and how we gotta make 2008 the best
year for IBM ever. Cheap bastards running the three ring circus acts in IBM now! Organize now folks. It's
your only fading hope now. GO Alliance! -anonymous-

Comment 06/24/08: -Old IBMer: Your days are very much numbered in IBM now, I'm afraid. Sincerely hope
you can survive longer but the odds are stacked against you tremendously. Band 08's making 120K+ are gonna
be cut since you make way too much by IBM standards. I guess you slipped through the LEAN initiative actions
so far. Consider yourself VERY LUCKY to get a 2% TCR raise. It might very well be your last. Market based
adjustment (MBA) is only for those folks paid way, way, way below band midpoint like band 8's being paid
in the 70'sK and 80'sK range if the job family is determined to be able to get an MBA. I haven't heard
of many MBA's given out so far. Maybe 2nd and 3rd line managers and higher got one! Who needs the Alliance?
You do now! Or let LEAN find you and you'll be history in IBM. -IBM LEAN person-

Comment 06/24/08: Band Level = 8; Job Title = The dreaded "I/T Specialist"; Years Service =
11; Message = I got 2.5% being a 2+ there was no MBA funding so that is all TCR. 8539 is the midpoint monthly
salary according to the paper I was given, I'm 21% into my band range with my increase. You would think
that someone rated consistently above average (2+) would be doing better than way below the midpoint, but
I know there are much worse stories than mine out there. My advice to everyone is to do what you feel is
right for you. -Losing Ground-

Comment 06/24/08: to saw_the_light: First, there is no union to join, just an effort to get one started.
Second, your manager has about .001% more authority than you do. They're more of supervisors these days.
They really have no say in anything. The can't MAKE anybody keep you exempt, and their opinion about it
to those who can make a difference pulls about as much weight as your opinion does. A first line manager
fighting for employee rights is just useless in IBM - it simply doesn't matter. And when first line managers
start siding with grunt employees over corporate direction, they're moved up on the RA list, too. The first
line manager's role is to be the messenger of the moronic decisions and directives from the VPs. The managers
probably have one of the toughest jobs lately (since its [lack of] raise time. They're given a $5 bill
and told to divvy it up against their top performers, and probably told "if you have too many 1s or
2+s, pick names out of a hat - the first X number of people you draw get a raise". It's really sad,
but don't rip on your manager when he/she can't do anything. -wake_up-

Comment 06/24/08: (( 200 career beheadings today. Churn that work force baby. Fire 'em in Burlington,
hire 'em in Bangalore. In all sincerity, I wish the best of luck to the families and communities of those
affected. )) IBM Corp. cut about 200 jobs in its Microelectronics Division today, most of them at its Burlington,
Vt., semiconductor plant, the company confirmed.

Comment 06/25/08: Salary = 120000; Band Level = 8; Job Title = IT Specialist; Years Service = 12; Hours/Week
= 40; Div Name = GTS; Message = I've worked for IBM for over a decade in Asia Pacific. Almost always had
rating 1's.... I've had several years where I had no raise at all. Looks like the 'no raise' policy is
global this year :-( Why bother killing myself...no more. -NoRaise-

Comment 06/25/08: Salary = $103,000; Band Level = 8; Job Title = Advisory Engineer; Years Service = 10;
Hours/Week = 40; Div Name = STG; Location = New York; Message = 2+ performer, 3.5% bonus, no raise again
for the fourth time in the last five years. All of my costs are going up, gas, food, insurance, taxes,
etc. but I get nothing. No raise is like a 5% pay cut with inflation where it is now. As others have pointed
out, stockholders are rewarded (dividend increase and huge stock buyback), IBM has record revenues and
earnings, yet employees do not share in the success. I've worked my butt off meeting deadlines the past
few months. Now what is my incentive to continue to work hard if I get no reward ? I think I'll stop trying
so hard - or rather, put my energy into finding another job. -unrewarded-

Comment 06/25/08: Salary = 113000; Band Level = 9; Job Title = Consultant/PM; Years Service = 10; Div
Name = 6C; Location = US Eastern Time Zone; Message = No raise. Again. Consistent 2+ performer. Only IT
Architects received raises in my department. Blue Page manager told me that 90% of their employees did
not receive any raise this year. Salary was 102 vs my region average. What am I supposed to do? Take a
traveling job with competitor when right now I work mainly from home? -Boo-Ya-

Comment 06/25/08: Salary = 115K; Band Level = 8; Job Title = Senior IT Consultant; Years Service = 2.5;
Hours/Week = 50 - 60; Div Name = GTS; Location = New Jersey; Message = Prior Year PBC: 2+ Prior Year Bonus:
4% Prior Year Raise: 4% This Year PBC: 2+ This year Bonus: 4% This Year Raise: 1% Will be out of here next
month: Sign on Bonus: 25K Salary: ~8% more -New Jerseyan-

Comment 6/21/08: Tell me what you know about relative contribution (RC). My manager informed me that
my RC is low against my peers but my work contribution is superb, and she advised me to look for other
opportunities. What the #$%^@ is RC? -Anon-

Comment 6/23/08: RC is manager speak for kissing managements ass. Think of it as Rectal Coupling. Your
lips their anus. As all your other work was undeniable, you didn't kiss enough ass. If you had you may
have gotten the all elusive one rating which would not necessarily have gotten you a raise or even a bonus;
but you would have felt better. Not having a contract is a great way to work isn't it? -Exodus 2007-

Comment 6/26/08: Concerning Relative Contribution: In February, all first lines have a "calibration
session" with their 2nd Line. All employees under the 2nd Line are ranked. Your relative contribution
is determined there. If your first line can't make a case for you to their peers that outweighs the manager's
peer's direct reports, you will be further down the list. You may not like to hear it, but Exodus2007 is
correct, with one exception. It's not just kissing your manager's butt, it's kissing her peer's butt too!
-Former First Line-

Comment 6/24/08: Country = USA; Union Affiliate = CWA 1701; Job Title = I/T Specialist; IBM Division
= 1K; Message = The IBM executive bastards used IBM Ireland until China was ready for the IBM global initiatives.
No doubt about it! They don't call the preferred IBM countries they offshore//move/expand business BRIC
for nothing and we all know the"I" is for India and not Ireland. -Joe A Beamer-

Comment 06/27/08: Country = USA; Union Affiliate = CWA; Job Title = I/T Specialist; IBM Division = GBS;
Message = To Amazed from Japan: In the USA I got a 15% base pay cut in February which put me about $2000
USA under the band 08 minimum for geography for I/T Specialist (about $65,000 or so, the band minimum is
higher than this). I was rated a PBC 2+ too. I reckon I would be better off working in IBM Japan :) IBM
can do anything it wants in the global scheme of things without a strong global union presence. -IT paycut
test resource-

Vault Message Board Posts:

"AVOID
IBM S&C!!!" by "DNAgrrrrrl". Full excerpt: I left S&C this year... had offers to consider
and finally took one. Truth is, I was so unfailing MISERABLE in S&C that I was simply going to quit outright,
even if didn't have another position. To be fair, good points: you work with some very very smart people.

Problem is, that is the oNLY positive aspect I can think of. The negatives list is long: NO training. I
mean absolutely ZERO. IBM should stand for "I'm By Myself". The worst manager I have ever had -
and I have been working for 20 years. Unethical behavior: routinely try to charge clients for hours not worked;
routinely overwork consultants on projects (12-15 hour days but you are only allowed to charge the client
8, so even though you are working insane hours your utilization doesn't reflect this, and your management
criticizes you for underbilling.

There has been a mass exodus out of the S&C group I was in: 7 people in 2.5 months. Management is uncaring
and laughably unskilled. I have even heard one executive made a homophobic remark at a business dinner...
and this was AFTER I told this person my best friend is gay!!! The experience was so bad that I could not
even bring myself to write anything pleasant (e.g. "nice working with you" or the like) in my letter
of resignation- it was one line: "I plan to resign on _____ (date)." I celebrated the day I left.
I am now making more money, with more vacation, a bigger bonus (not to mention a big sign on bonus). I figure
this was God's way of making up for my abysmal experience at IBM. Do yourself and your friend a favor --
stay out of IBM consulting! It is a mess.

"The
more they claim it's changed..." by "ancientblueconsultant". Full excerpt: ...for the better
the more it appears from recent departees it's actually hasn't changed and it's getting worse. I guess you didn't
get the "spirit" of modern slavery!

"bitter
should be made of sterner stuff" by "bluejules". Full excerpt: I guess you didn't like my
snide reply. Actually I'm really not all that bitter, cynical for sure, realistic - you bet. I've extracted my
fair share of treasure from IBM and was always careful not to give away my life to the blue pig. Wherever you
go in IBM, even the best places, the pressure will be great to give everything you have to the company. Just
don't. One thing is certain, IBM will not reciprocate equally.

As was pointed out a few threads ago, the negative sentiment is likely focused in US, and other English-speaking
countries. If I lived in one of IBM's growth countries and was looking to start a career, I would take a close
look at IBM. The US is not so rich with opportunities. Actually, a few threads back ABC made a list of good
areas in IBM where you'll get great experience. I recommend reading that. You could also likely make a similar
list of technical areas where IBM would give you great experience, but I feel those would almost all fall outside
of GBS.

Anywhere you work in the US, even the best places, you'll feel like you're working for company about to
enter bankruptcy - no money for anything: training, supplies, coffee, awards, pay increases, painting the
F(&#$ walls, etc. I could go on and on. That's consistent with the fact that IBM is NOT investing in
the US. So go in eyes wide open. This isn't the place to get my MBA paid for by my employer.

Read the archives to find the places to avoid. They've been pretty well described. I don't have any broad
recommendations for the US such as this sector or that business. They're all equally bad with pockets of
better. Is IBM better than unemployment - sure. Would I rather work at IBM over declining companies like
Sprint/Nextel or Circuit City (both big IBM customers)? I think so. Would I come to IBM expecting great opportunities
and big job satisfaction? Probably not.

If you hire good people and treat them well, they will try to do a good job.
They will stimulate one another by their vigor and example.
They will set a fast pace for themselves.
Then if they are well led and occasionally inspired, if they understand what the company is trying to do and know they will
share in its sucess, they will contribute in a major way.
The customer will get the superior service he is looking for. The result is profit to customers, employees, and to stcckholders.
—Thomas J. Watson, Jr., from A
Business and Its Beliefs: The Ideas That Helped Build IBM.

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